Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Decanter

Around the wine world Bordeaux winemaking giant Patrick Léon dies Celebrated winemaker and consultant Patrick Léon died on 11 December 2018 at his home estate of Château Les Trois Croix in Fronsac, Bordeaux. Léon was responsible for many of the most lauded wines of the 20th century, yet he was often described as unfailingly modest and self-effacing by those who knew him. A devoted oeonologist and ampelographer, Léon started his career in 1960s Bordeaux, at the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture, where he established an oenology laboratory. In 1972 he began working at Alexis Lichine & Co as technical director and general manager of Château Lascombes in Margaux, before moving to spend nearly 20 years working with Baron Philippe de Rothschild. He was technical director at Château Mouton Rothschild from 1984…

Letter of the month Alcohol levels and typicity ANDREw JEFFoRD’S EloquENT defence of higher alcohol wines (December 2018 issue) seemed a bit uncomfortable. I have long loved Amarone, which due to the appassimento grape-drying process, will always produce concentrated wines; but 17% blurs the boundary with fortified wines. when do you drink it? I like Châteauneuf-du-Pape too, and have recently enjoyed the 1995 and 1998 Beaucastel, which proves that 13.5% wines can age two decades gracefully. other Châteauneufs of higher alcohol have aged badly and been monotonously sweet. hugh Johnson has called for some underripe grapes in every wine, and surely escalating alcohol levels are a product of deliberately harvesting ever riper grapes. Is this due to global warming, or to a quest for higher scores and competition medals? As…

LETTER FROM RIOJA Tim Atkin MW ‘In the 1890s, reds from the Rioja Alta sometimes had 10% alcohol’ SAJAZARRA IN THE northwest corner of Rioja is famous for all the wrong reasons. This painterly village is home to one of the region’s best-restored medieval castles, but is still primarily associated with something that happened in 1899. There’s no commemorative plaque, but it was here that phylloxera arrived in Rioja, some 30 years after the aphid first appeared on the other side of the Pyrenees. Phylloxera was not as calamitous in Spain as it was in France – grafting onto American roots had been discovered as a solution – but Rioja still had to replant most of its vineyards. All in all, it was a low-key place for phylloxera to alight.…

The Decanter interview Raúl Pérez Is this the world’s best winemaker? With family roots firmly in Spain’s remote northwestern Bierzo region, his minimal-intervention methods and their extraordinary results have rapidly propelled him to the status of global champion, says Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW ThERE ARE ThREE kinds of winemaking genius. First, the classicists: those who excel in applying what they have learned from their masters and reaching higher levels of refinement. They are behind the great classic wines. Then, the innovators, who discover or develop new winemaking approaches, master new technologies, reveal unknown grape varieties, in ways that are easily replicable. We have them to thank for many new wine styles and new regions. The third group are those rare geniuses who act upon intuition. One…

Terra Alta: 10 names to know Altavins Started in 2001, this cellar has been at the vanguard of the boutique movement, and its owner Joan Arrufí is now the DO president. His focus on vinifying certain vineyards and old plots into single wines has worked to show the strength of the Terra Alta terroir. Bàrbara Forés With a family history in winemaking, Carme Ferrer and husband Manuel Sanmartín restarted quality winemaking in the region by renovating Ferrer’s old family cellars in the heart of Gandesa. Bàrbara Forés is Ferrer’s ancestor, born in 1828, who was responsible for starting the family on its winemaking path. Celler Batea One of the local cooperatives, formed in the 1950s, that continues to make quality wines within its village of the same name. Batea readily…

Verdejo versatility: Gellie’s 10 to try from Rueda 1 Grupo Yllera, Cantosán Reserva Brut Nature NV 91 £7.55 Vinissimus Sparkling Verdejo represents just a fraction of Rueda’s output, but with many Spaniards boycotting Cava during the Catalan crisis the wines are more in demand. This is a very classy traditional-method fizz with a minimum of three years on lees, showing creamy, toasty notes and firm yet floral nougat and citrus flavours. 6,000 bottles made. Drink 2019-2020 Alcohol 12% 2 Belondrade y Lurton, Verdejo 2016 93 £29-£35 AG Wines, Berry Bros & Rudd, Hedonism, The Solent Cellar Hand-harvested selection of grapes from 22 organic estate plots, wild-yeast fermented and left on its lees for 10 months in 300-litre French oak barrels. Complex, high-toned aromas and flavours of tropical fruit, lime zest…

Top picks: the best of Remírez de Ganuza 1 Remírez de Ganuza, Blanco, Rioja 2016 92 £31.45 Bancroft A blend of Viura and Malvasía, fermented in new French oak barriques with lees movement. Blanched almond, red apple and subtle pear, camomile and linden scents. Rounded, with good energy, vibrant if toned-down fruit and a gentle mineral undertow. Very well balanced and harmonious. Oak gives a nutty aspect. Very drinkable. Drink 2019-2021 Alcohol 14% 2 Remírez de Ganuza, Gran Reserva, Rioja 1994 97 N/A UK www.remirezdeganuza.com Mostly Tempranillo, with 10% Graciano, from 60-year-old vines on average. Spends 27 months in new barriques. Just starting to take on some fox colour to the ruby. Blood and iron, soy, a touch of paprika smokiness. Full-bodied, rich and weighty on the palate, with lush…

Sherry revolution: Evans selects the wines to try 1 Callejuela, Blanquito, Manzanilla Pasada, Sanlúcar de Barrameda 94 £17.27/50cl Vinissimus Yes, this is actually Sherry. But the Callejuela brothers are significant to this story – local growers whose wines were brought to a wider public by Willy Pérez and Ramiro Ibáñez. It’s a lively manzanilla, full of iodine, almonds and fresh herbs. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 15.5% 2 Barbadillo, Mirabrás, Pago de Santa Lucía, Cádiz 2016 93 £19.15-£21.90 Exel, Les Caves de Pyrene, Wine Freedom Grapes briefly sun-dried, fermented in manzanilla casks. After time on lees, 18 months in stainless steel with flor. Shows the camomile and brioche of manzanilla, plus apple and a hint of sweetness. Long, dry, savoury. Drink 2019-2022 Alc 14.5% 3 Cota 45, Ube Miraflores, Cádiz 2015 93…

THIS MONTH’S PANEL TASTINGS Rioja 2010 & Spanish Mencía Steven Spurrier’s fine wine world Our consultant editor and 2017 Man of the Year picks fine wines to drink now and lay down, all priced from £25 Weekday wines By Tina Gellie Want something more adventurous in your midweek wine selection but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? We’ve found 25 exciting wines to try for under £25 Rioja 2010 69 wines tasted Discover the best reservas and gran reservas from an ‘almost perfect’ vintage in this classic Spanish region Spanish Mencía 89 wines tasted If you’re seeking lighter, fresher reds from Spain, try the Mencía grape, which delivers quality and consistency Expert’s Choice: Spanish premium rosé By Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW Best known for its easy-drinking pinks, Spain is…

FOR THE CELLAR Chanson, Clos de Fèves 2017 The Burgundy houses of Albert Bichot, Chanson, Faiveley and Louis Jadot held tastings of their 2017 wines in November 2018. These were followed by the tastings of the UK merchants and importers in January 2019, and already the vintage is provoking a high level of interest. The 2017 harvest in the Côte d’Or started on 6 September in outstanding conditions with fully ripe, healthy grapes that produced red wines full of colour and fruit with an attractive florality, sappy texture and velvety tannins. While opening early, they have an ageing potential to match 2010 and 2005. In such a vintage the wines of Beaune show their best, and Chanson, with 25ha of vineyards across 10 different premiers crus, is for me the…

RIOJA: THE FACTS 65,593ha in the Upper Ebro over three provinces – La Rioja, Alava and Navarre Three regions Alta, Alavesa and Oriental (formerly Baja) Main grapes Red (87% of volumes) Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha, Mazuelo, Maturana Tinta; White Viura, Garnacha Blanco, Malvasia; recent derogation of international varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Climate Both Mediterranean and Atlantic influences, also the Cantabrian mountains Altitude Up to 700m Categories Joven (young), crianza (min 12 months in cask), reserva (aged for three years of which min one year in cask) and gran reserva (aged for more than 60 months, min two years in cask and two years in bottle)…

THE JUDGES Sarah Jane Evans MW Evans is an award-winning journalist and author specialising in Spanish wines, food and culture. She is a co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, and was made a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino for services to Spanish wine. Her most recent book is The Wines of Northern Spain (Infinite Ideas 2018). Simon Field MW Field was a buyer for Berry Bros & Rudd for more than 20 years and now consults on areas that particularly interested him during that time, with Spain and the fortified category featuring prominently, as well as the Rhône, Languedoc and Champagne. Pierre Mansour Mansour is head of buying at The Wine Society. He started in the wine trade at the Antique Wine Company in 1995,…

THE JUDGES Sarah Jane Evans MW Evans is an award-winning journalist who contributes to leading wine magazines, while also focusing on wine education and judging internationally. In 2006 she became a Master of Wine, writing her dissertation on Sherry. She is also a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros de Vino for services to Spanish wine. Simon Field MW Field joined Berry Bros & Rudd in 1998 and worked with them for 20 years, as buyer for Spanish and fortified wines, as well as wines from Champagne, the Rhône, Loire Valley and Languedoc-Roussillon. He gained his MW qualification in October 2002 and in 2015 was admitted into the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Pierre Mansour Mansour has worked in the wine trade for his entire career, starting in…

EXPERTS CHOICE Premium Spanish rosé While much Spanish rosé is made for easy pleasure, some producers are moving towards a more refined style. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW charts their progress and picks bottles to try Most rosé is made as a simple, easy-drinking wine but, technically, rosé can be top-class and have an ageing potential similar to the best red and white wines of the world. Style and complexity depend on decisions made in the vineyard and in the winery. What characterises rosé wines, a limited maceration of pips and skins in the must, means just that: less maceration, but by no means lower quality. Some grape varieties are particularly suited to producing balanced and multi-layered wines after short maceration (as the best white varieties do). Plus, in the current…

RIOJA’S HIDDEN GEMS Rioja is known for its grandiose wineries and bustling tapas trails, but to get a real flavour of the region, venture into the surrounding area. Despite their sleepy appearance, the old towns boast some of the region’s best foodie destinations – from Michelin stars to dining in a cave. La Taberna de la Cuarta Esquina ‘Calahorra is the most important city to the east of Rioja, known for its Roman ruins and the quality of its vegetables – it even has a museum dedicated to them, Museo de la Verdura. La Taberna de la Cuarta Esquina offers the best food in the area, with delicious stews and seasonal ingredients. It also has impressive fish dishes, such as bacalao al ajoarriero and hake that took my breath away.…

John Stimpfig ‘Cru classé whites can age, improve and develop in bottle’ OCCASIONALLY I HAVE to sing for my supper by guessing the identity of a wine at a lunch or dinner. Alas, more often than not, I fail spectacularly. The last time was a mystery white, which I hazarded was five years old and came from the Agly Valley in France. In fact, it was a 2002 Domaine de Chevalier from Pessac-Léognan. Coincidentally, I encountered the same wine soon after in Shanghai – the day before our Fine Wine Encounter at the Ritz-Carlton (see p24). It was part of a unique and unprecedented tasting and dinner organised and hosted by the estate’s owners, Olivier and Adrien Bernard. The pair had compiled a vertical of 20 stellar vintages ranging from…

In brief ■ Château Mouton Rothschild’s 2016 grand vin label art has been unveiled. The Pauillac estate said the artist, William Kentridge, from South Africa, is ‘the first world-famous artist from the African continent’ to illustrate its top label, for which it has commissioned great artists annually since 1945. Kentridge’s artwork is a series of silhouettes entitled The Triumphs of Bacchus. ■ Paulo Amorim has been presented with France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole award in recognition of his contribution to viticulture. Amorim is president of the Portuguese Association of Wines & Spirits (ANCEVE), as well as director of C da Silva and Quinta da Aveleda wineries. He also founded Viniportugal, promoting Portuguese wines worldwide, and the G7 collective of Portugal’s top wineries. ■ Carbon dating tests carried out…

Andrew Jefford ‘We lost a luminary. And we lost him much too soon’ AS I WRITE this, the wine community is mourning Gerard Basset OBE MW MS. Some readers will have known him personally; more will not. When he died on 16 January, we lost a luminary. And we lost him much too soon. He wasn’t born to wine. He told me he’d been a van driver in Marseilles at one point – and it stuck in my mind. This meant that the three most successful people in the UK wine trade (also Tony Laithwaite of Laithwaite’s and Stephen Browett of Farr Vintners) had all begun, not by tottering down into vaulted family cellars or through luxurious initiation at college high tables, but by driving vans. Gerard became a sommelier…

TEMPRANILLO Tempranillo: Spain’s top 40 It’s a grape that has risen from relative anonymity in just a few decades to be the key variety in Spain’s finest wine regions, with its popularity now beginning to spread further afield. We asked Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, who writes below, and Sarah Jane Evans MW to recommend the 40 best Tempranillo wines they could find TEmpRANillo is ThE grape variety most commonly associated with spain. There are several reasons for such visibility. First, it is the main grape in most of the greatest wines from Rioja, spain’s fine wine flagship. Then, it is the raw material in many other appellations, going by many synonyms: Cencibel in Castillala mancha, Tinta Fina in Ribera del Duero, Tinta de Toro, Tinta de madrid, Ull de llebre…

Ballesteros Torres’ picks: four great reds by Raúl Pérez 1 Raúl Pérez & Niepoort, Ultreia, Douro, Portugal 2013 97 N/A UK www.raulperez.com Photograph: Friederike Paetzold, Vinimenta.com Sourced from old vineyards in the Tedo and Covas valleys at the heart of the Douro Valley: a blend of Touriga Franca with Tinta Amarela and Tinta Roriz, fermented with natural yeasts in oak foudres, then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. An unbelievably delicate wine, sewn in fine lace, suave and velvety, subtle and slow. It is a masterpiece, made to express identity, uniqueness. Drink 2019-2033 Alcohol 14% 2 Raúl Pérez , La Penitencia, Galicia, Spain 2015 96 £42.99 AG Wines, Vin Cognito Grown within the DO zone of Ribeira Sacra, not far from Bierzo, but bottled without reference to the…

Hudin’s top Terra Alta wines 1 Altavins, Selecció Blanc 2014 94 N/A UK www.altavins.com Delicate grapefruit and peach, dried apricot, yellow wildflower blossoms, very light vanilla and toasted notes. Well balanced, light with moderate acidity and unending length, which showcases the well-formed fruit and tertiary light nutty notes on the finish. Drink 2019-2024 Alcohol 14% 2 Edetària, Selecció Blanc 2016 93 £30 The Wine Treasury Yellow peach and light lemon citrus peel aromas on the nose, alongside delicate floral notes, streaks of vanilla and yellow wildflowers. Very layered and subtle on the palate, which shows vibrant, fine acidity that pushes a lengthy finish, boasting well-defined citrus and orchard fruit notes. Drink 2019-2023 Alc 14% Bàrbara Forés, Abrisa’t 2017 92 £15.20 (2016) Decántalo Complex notes of cured lemon peel, red apple,…

RUEDA Vying for Verdejo Rueda’s signature white wine grape is already proving itself in terms of both quality and versatility, but there are stylistic questions to be resolved. Tina Gellie charts the way forward for the region and recommends a dozen of its best wines LESS THAN A 100km drive from Madrid, the region of Castilla y León is not the tourist hotspot you might expect, given that it is home to half of all Spain’s historic and cultural artefacts. And what tourists there are – those unswayed by the buzz of Barcelona or the sun and sand of the costas – tend not to be wine lovers, who would more likely fly into Bilbão to visit Rioja or down to Jerez to enjoy the Sherry. Photograph: Age Fotostock/Alamy This…

Producer profile Remírez de Ganuza This groundbreaking Rioja winery is known for its pioneering techniques and singular approach towards winemaking. Matt Walls pays a visit WhAT impREssEs mE most of all is the vision. in 1989, at the age of 39 and with no winemaking background, Fernando Remírez de Ganuza set up his own bodega in Rioja and started to make wine. Not just any wine: concentrated, structured reds for long-term ageing. instead of following local norms, he has been a peerless innovator, constantly in search of ways to optimise the health and perfect ripeness of his grapes. Thirty years on, as his first vintages are hitting maturity, has the ‘modern’ style of Rioja that he helped to usher in been vindicated? Or does this approach now appear outdated in…

OLD VINES Older vines, better wines? It’s one of the oldest wine aphorisms that’s generally assumed to be true – but is it necessarily so? Natasha Hughes MW investigates whether age really does come before beauty in the vineyard, and recommends eight old-vine wines that you can test the theory with In our youth-obsessed Western culture, old age has long been perceived as a time of preordained senescence, one in which physical charms fade and the intellect weakens with a dire inevitability. to be old is to be insulted. shakespeare has Prospero (no spring chicken himself) describe the rebellious Caliban in terms that would still be a low blow to those of a certain age: ‘And as with age his body uglier grows, so his mind cankers’. Luckily for vines,…

Toro vintage guide 2018 More rainfall than average in winter and spring, followed by a long hot summer, resulting in a large, healthy crop. Suggests a very promising vintage with density and structure. 2017 A tricky year, in which cold, rainy conditions resulted in low yields and the need for careful selection at harvest. Wines are for early drinking rather than the long haul. 2016 A good year, with near-perfect growing conditions. The wines are both concentrated and well balanced. 2015 A hot, dry year. Older vines thrived; younger vines struggled. Watch out for elevated alcohol levels. 2014 Another hot, dry year and high yields. The wines are big and structured, and often high in alcohol. 2013 A wet year with cooler conditions with usual. The wines are relatively high…

STEVEN SPURRIER’S fine wine world The Spurrier selection Decanter’s long-standing consultant editor and 2017 Decanter Man of the Year hand-picks fine wines for drinking now and recommends others to lay down, all priced from £25 upwards De Wetshof Estate, Bateleur Chardonnay, Robertson, South Africa 2016 95 £32.95 Ellis of Richmond Gravel soils rich in limestone and clay produce a Chardonnay of supreme elegance and florality. Pear drop and citrus elements on the nose lead to controlled richness on the palate whose classy, harmonious finish assures a great future. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13% Domaine du Castel, Grand Vin, Judean Hills, Jerusalem, Israel 2016 93 £62.99 Hedonism, Kedem Europe, Kosher Wines, Selfridges Eli Ben Zaken is the founding father of the Judean Hills appellation. This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend shows…

RECOMMENDATIONS Weekday wines Looking to try something different or adventurous, but don’t want to make an expensive mistake? Decanter’s associate editor Tina Gellie has done the hard work for you, picking out 25 exciting and accessible wines available in the UK for £25 or less Akarua, Brut, Central Otago, New Zealand NV 91 £24 Liberty Wines An inviting Chardonnay-dominant fizz from a 50ha single vineyard, this is crisp, bright and floral but with great depth and complex, creamy richness. Elegant brioche and baked spiced apple and a long toasty finish. Made with 15% of reserve wines and 18 months of lees ageing. Alc 13% Frankland Estate, Isolation Ridge Riesling, Frankland River, Western Australia 2017 92 O £22.95 Berry Bros & Rudd Expressive aromas of lime cordial,…

RIOJA: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES 2016 After the challenges of midsummer drought and very high temperatures, a long benevolent growing season brought the crop into equilibrium and the results are promising. 2015 A return to form, warm but not hot. Balanced ripening across the region; ideal conditions for harvest, completed speedily under perfectly blue skies. 2014 Tricky year, cooler, the vines struggling a little after the vagaries of 2013; hopes were dashed by a very wet mid- and late-September which affected those who had not picked early. Impressive whites and rosados. 2013 A difficult year with very mixed results. Spring rains and unpredictable growing patterns had predictably mixed results. 2012 A more challenging vintage, drought and shut-down in the vines, midsummer, resulting in a relatively short crop with a heterogeneous identity.…

RIOJA 2010 OUTSTANDING 95–97pts Olarra, Cerro Añón, Gran Reserva Decanter average score: 96/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Sarah Jane Evans MW 96 Simon Field MW 96 Pierre Mansour 96 £15.50-£17 Exel, Roberson, Ultracomida Founded in 1973 on the outskirts of Logroño, Olarra is known locally as the ‘Cathedral of Rioja’ owing to the beauty and grandeur of its distinctive Y-shaped winery. Here, cutting-edge technologies merge with Rioja’s traditional winemaking methods, while the winery’s ageing hall houses an impressive 26,000 oak barrels. With several brands on the market, Cerro Añón is Olarra’s flagship label and the wines are classic in style. This gran reserva is a blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo and 5% Garnacha, aged for two years in new oak. Sarah Jane Evans MW A youthful blend, still showing energy…

SPANISH MENCIA: KNOW YOUR VINTAGES Vintage assessments across a wide range of DOs are inevitably imprecise, so please note that this summary is a broad generalisation 2017 Monterrei was 35% down on 2016. Ribeira Sacra had an early harvest, with uneven ripening. Valdeorras saw some severe frost damage. 2016 In general, an excellent vintage. In Bierzo, production of Mencía was 18% lower than in the previous five vintages. 2015 Overall high quality, with higher yields. The inland DOs of Valdeorras and Bierzo flourished. 2014 Rainy year, an ‘Atlantic’ vintage similar to 2013. Strict selection needed in many areas. 2013 A cool and wet spring gave welcome rainfall after drought, though many growers needed to select the best grapes.…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Descendientes de J Palacios, Pétalos, Bierzo 2016 Decanter average score: 93/100pts Individual judges’ scores: Sarah Jane Evans MW 94 Simon Field MW 93 Pierre Mansour 93 £22-£36.67 Harvey Nichols, Millésima Very refined and sublimely understated, with finely poised acidity. Spicy blackberry fruit, ingrained with carefully managed oak. Very well made. Drink 2020-2023 Alcohol 13.5% Adegas Moure, Abadía da Cova Ecolóxico, Ribeira Sacra 2017 92 SJE 91 SF 92 PM 92 £20 Burridges of Arlington St Bold and brambly on the nose; equally fruity on the palate, with a just-bottled freshness and piquant acidity, plus exquisite purity. Long and resourceful. Drink 2019-2021 Alc 12.5% Descendientes de J Palacios, Villa de Corullón, Bierzo 2016 92 SJE 93 SF 93 PM 90 £48.33 Millésima Delicately aromatic; full of flavour…

Shawn Hennessey My Seville Visit this popular destination in southwestern Spain and you’ll be captivated by the vibrant food and wine scene, and by the city’s palpable energy and lust for life, promises Shawn Hennessey Seville iS Steeped in a history that spans more than two-and-a-half millennia, and which has left its mark on the fabric, culture and cuisine of this most Mpanish of Mpanish cities. Focated in southwest Mpain, it is both a provincial capital and the regional capital of Andalucía, and has been my home since C arrived here in the autumn of 1993. Pibrant, colourful and seemingly timeless, Meville is often claimed to be the natural home of the bullfight, flamenco, religious processions, and of the tapeo, a Mpanish bar-crawl with food and wine. Ither cities may…

Tasting notes decoded Written by Laura Seal Cedar From car air fresheners to aromatherapy oils, cedar wood is prized for its rich and woody aromatic qualities. In wines, it’s a desirable scent that often indicates the use of oak in the production of red wines. Most commonly, it’s found in full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon wines, such as those from the Napa Valley or Bordeaux – particularly Left Bank appellations – as well as some full-bodied Riojas (see p105). As it’s related to the use of oak in post-fermentation winemaking, cedar is classified as a secondary aroma. Within this category, it signifies a fresher and more savoury aroma than notes like vanilla or butterscotch, and expresses a resinous and slightly spicy character aligned with sandalwood and cloves. Cedar falls among the subtler…

Fine wine price watch Below are the most recent merchant case prices (equivalent 12 x 750ml bottles) for wines that are actively traded among a global network of merchants on Liv-ex, the fine wine market. Liv-ex records transactions between its merchant members in the UK, US, Asia and Europe. All prices are in GBP and exclude sales tax. The numbers in red indicate those prices which have changed since last month. The Liv-ex 100 Index Index level at end of December 2018 312.05 | -0.42% The Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index represents the price movement of 100 of the most sought-after fine wines for which there is a strong secondary market and is calculated monthly. The majority of the index consists of Bordeaux wines – a reflection of the overall…

Letters Enraged or inspired by what you’ve read? Email editor@decanter.com, or write to: The Editor, Decanter, 1st Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, UK Claret alternatives? I AgREE wITh Jayne Smith (‘Letters’, February 2019 issue), who laments the trend of rising alcohol levels in table wines. This trend is demonstrated starkly in Andy howard’s claret alternative recommendations (February 2019), which are mostly 14% alcohol, and some even 15%. hardly claret alternatives in my book. The great clarets rarely go above 13.5%, and I rarely buy any wines that do. I notice that the 2017 Burgundies reviewed in the same issue rarely exceed 13.5%, though the featured Tasmanian Pinot Noir producer, Apsley gorge, had wines at 14% – too high in my opinion for a Pinot, though again an increasing…

Hugh Johnson ‘The question is always, what next? My hunch is... look east’ AT THIS TIME of year I’m head-down in my next Pocket Wine Book. It’s the 43rd time I’ve done it, and no, it doesn’t get monotonous. When I say ‘I’, by the way, it’s really a big ‘we’. Every year Margaret Rand commissions and collates revised material from our 30-odd correspondents round the world; Hilary Lumsden edits them; I pore over them, compare them with my own recent experiences, do a lot of fussy subbing, cut out any disposable words without mercy (‘mineral’ is a frequent one) and round it off with my annual ‘Agenda’; a summary of what strikes me as new, different, better or worse. Even ideas for improvements. This is the tricky bit. There…

NEW-WAVE SPAIN Spanish discoveries Have the vision to look beyond the Rioja and Ribera del Duero mainstream, and the rewards can be great indeed. Hidden in rural corners and on inhospitable slopes, you will stumble across those who prefer to carve their own path, mixing new methods with old, breathing new life into traditional grape varieties and wine styles as they go. Sarah Jane Evans MW explains the fascination behind nine of her favourites among Spain’s new guard SpAiN iS buzziNg with exciting small projects. The fact that they are small makes the wines harder to find for those of us who love them, but it is all the more rewarding when you can track them down. Often, in fact, the best solution can be to visit the wineries directly…

Rueda: the facts DO created 1980 Vineyard area 16,165ha, all within Castilla y León Key provinces Valladolid, Segovia, Avila Geography Plateau at 700m-800m altitude, giving a continental climate with big diurnal temperature differences Producers 70 wineries; 1,525 growers; 3 co-ops Harvest 130,000 tonnes in 2018 – a record for the DO Varieties 99% of the DO is planted to white grapes, with Verdejo comprising 85% of that, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Viura and Palomino Exports 15 million bottles or 15% of total production…

Remírez de Ganuza: a timeline 1950 Birth of Fernando Remírez de Ganuza 1989 Bodegas Remírez de Ganuza established 1991 First vintage bottled 1992 First commercially released vintage 1994 Jesús Mendoza joins. First vintage to be exported 1997 1992 vintage released from the bodega 2001 Jesús Mendoza promoted to head oenologist; first vintage of Trasnocho 2003 Starts using the skins of white grapes in red wine fermentations 2004 First vintage of Remírez de Ganuza Blanco 2010 Urtasun family becomes co-owner of the estate, with a 50% stake 2014 First vintage of Tre3mano from Ribera del Duero…

Hughes’ pick: wines from old vines 1 Alheit Vineyards, Fire by Night, Paardeberg, South Africa 2017 95 £45 Handford, The Sampler, Vin Cognito, WoodWinters Crystalline purity from a wine laced with spiced pears, dried camomile flowers and lime. Zingy acidity and smoky minerality provides a framework for the long finish. Vines planted 1974-1980. Drink 2019-2026 Alcohol 13% István Szepsy, Szent Tamás, Parcel 46 Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary 2016 94 POA Top Selection Terrific stony minerality and focused acidity create a framework for subtle fruit flavours with notes of mint, lemongrass and stone fruit. Long and laser-like finish. Average vine age 60 years or more. Drink 2019-2025 Alc 14% 2 Sottimano, Basarin, Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy 2015 96 £58.50 Lea & Sandeman Shows more plushness and opulence than many Barbarescos. Incredibly floral, with…

SPONSORED GUIDE Toro top buys: 30 great wines to try Looking across the region as a whole, Natasha Hughes MW picks out her 30 favourite Toro wines from vintages going back to 2010 Dominio del Bendito, Mi Verdadejo 2017 94 N/A UK www.bodegadominiodelbendito.com Generous, fleshy texture. Delightful aromas of peach and pink grapefruit with a lick of salty minerality. Brisk acidity lends balance. Long and very elegant. Drink 2019-2022 Alcohol 14% Teso la Monja, Alabaster 2016 97 £105.50 (2010) Gerrard Seel Despite high levels of tannins, they’re silky, fine-grained and almost totally integrated into the dense, complex palate. Raspberries, elderberries, red plums, fennel and dark chocolate with smoky minerality. Incredibly precise; long and resonant, with sure-footed grace. Drink 2020-2036 Alc 14.5% San Román Bodegas y Viñedos, San Román 2015 95…

FROM THE CELLAR Méo-Camuzet, Aux Murgers 2002 Under the title ‘Time to Mature’, Goedhuis & Co hosted a tasting of 32 premier and grand cru 2002 red Burgundies selected by Sarah Marsh MW. Heralded as a very good but not great vintage, the balance of ripe fruit, fresh acidity and fine tannins has seen it move up the scale to match the best, and most bottles put on a marvellous show. From Côte de Beaune, the Chanson, Clos des Fèves (see right) seemed at its peak, while an autumnal Lafarge, Clos des Chênes Volnay, feminine Chandon de Briailles, Corton-Bressandes and especially the velvety Méo-Camuzet, Corton Clos Rognet had more to give. Among the premiers crus were two superbly different Chambolle-Musignys: a lissom Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Les Fuées and earthy Georges Roumier,…

PANEL TASTING Rioja 2010 From a year officially rated Excellent, the region’s ever-reliable aged styles of reserva, gran reserva and their equivalents are destined to impress, says Simon Field MW Map: Maggie Nelson Rioja is at a crossroads. With up to 400 million bottles a year to sell, the region exports more than 35% of its wine and has been able, despite burgeoning competition, to command an impressive UK average bottle price of £6.82. The nearly 12 million bottles of reserva and gran reserva sold in the UK in 2017 represent more than 25% of the market in certain sectors. Yet change is afoot. In essence, Rioja has come to be defined by the ageing regime employed, rather than by the specific origin of the grapes. This has worked well…

PANEL TASTING The verdict These oak-aged styles, traditional or otherwise, impressed us all, says Simon Field MW, exhibiting the quality and great value for money that Rioja lovers have come to expect This was a fascinating and uplifting tasting and it was inspiring to see so many of these current releases, despite their age, coming in at relatively modest price points – certainly in the context of their relative maturity and inherent quality. Gracias to the bodegas for maintaining an entirely reasonable philosophy of releasing wines only when they are ready to drink. That aside, there was, in fact, a clear correlation between pricing and quality, with the significant majority of the top 12 scores from the upper echelons, price-wise. As an honourable exception, the Cerro Añón Gran Reserva represents…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 90–94pts Bodegas Riojanas, Monte Real 125, Reserva 94 SJE 94 SF 93 PM 95 £85 Harrods Sumptuous French oak interwoven with plump, perfumed Tempranillo; lovely now with its juicy savoury fruit and lively freshness, but will continue to develop. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14% Montecillo, 22 Barricas, Gran Reserva 94 SJE 95 SF 93 PM 93 £30-£39 Drinkmonger, Las Bodegas Complex and intriguing, this has a savoury appeal to its dark fruit character and elegant yet grippy tannins. Promises a distinguished future. Drink 2019-2028 Alc 13.5% Santalba, OGGA, Reserva 94 SJE 93 SF 95 PM 93 £55 Castelnau Wine Agencies Youthful and energetic yet elegantly understated, with a fine interplay between the tannins and its dense, dark fruit. Give it time to integrate. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 14.5% Bilbaínas, Viña…

PANEL TASTING The verdict Judges were very impressed with consistency and quality in this tasting, resulting in a large number of Highly Recommended bottles, says Sarah Jane Evans MW What a fascinating tasting this was! In a number of ways it surpassed our expectations. While there were no wines in the Outstanding category, there were several that very nearly made it. The Highly Recommended section is impressively large, with many wines that we recommend strongly. Roughly half of all the Bierzo wines entered were rated Highly Recommended; and the same for Ribeira Sacra. Notably our scores were very consistent. Bierzo, the established home of Mencía, produced some exceptional wines. It was no surprise to find wines from Raúl Pérez and Descendientes de J Palacios jostling for position at the top.…

RECOMMENDED 86–89pts COMMENDED 83-85pts ■ Gancedo, Xestal, Bierzo 2017 85, 14.5%, 2020-2021, £20.49-£21.50 Eurovines, Welch & Co, Wine World Clapham ■ Rectoral de Amandi, Manolo Arnoya Barrica Edición Limitada, Ribeira Sacra 2014 85, 13.5%, 2019, N/A UK www.rectoraldeamandi.com ■ Vehemencia, Crianza, Bierzo 2014 84, 15%, 2019-2023, £22.40 Bodega Soul FAIR 76-82pts ■ Adegas do Rexurdir, Trailará, Rías Baixas 2016 81, 13.5%, 2019, N/A UK www.adegasdorexurdir.com ■ Puerta del Viento Sin Sulfitos Añadidos, Bierzo 2015 81, 13.5%, 2019, £7.95 Flavours of Spain Next month’s panel tastings Chilean Carmenère & Picpoul de Pinet…

MY TOP 10 IN SEVILLE 1 Cañabota Seville’s premier upmarket fish and seafood restaurant. Juanlu Fernández and his team pay great attention to both freshness and quality, and the wine list of approximately 130 includes many international wines – unusual for Seville – with by-the-glass options changing monthly. www.canabota.com 2 Vermutería Yo Soy Tu Padre Photographs: Anna Serrano/4Corners; Shawn Hennessy After many years of decline, vermouth is making a big comeback. Owner Esteban Mújica makes his own from his secret recipe of herbs using a Sherry wine base, and is happy to tell you all about them, as well as the bar, and Seville, in excellent English. +34 619 47 07 84 3 Taberna Manolo Cateca Sherry heaven. Manuel Navarro’s tiny bar is a go-to place for a stunning range…

Christie’s reveals top 10 auction lots in 2018 Whiskies dominated the top 10 wines and spirits lots auctioned at Christie’s in 2018 in US dollar terms. A unique painted bottle of The Macallan 1926, 60 Year Old Scotch headed the list at $1.5m or £1.2m (see ‘Marketwatch’, February 2019). In fourth and fifth places were The Macallan 50 Year Old in Lalique and The Yamazaki 50 Year Old, both fetching $181,440. Springbank 1919 50 Year Old Scotch came seventh at $166,320. In second and third place were two 12-bottle lots of DRC Romanée-Conti 1988, the priciest fetching $362,880. A six-bottle lot of the same wine came sixth. In eighth, ninth and 10th places respectively were Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux 1999 ($136,955), Latour 1945 ($135,600) and DRC Montrachet 1986 ($120,960).…

Wine Legends R López de Heredia, Viña Tondonia Blanco 1964 Rioja, Spain A legend because… This famous producer, one of the most traditional in Spain, was founded in Rioja in 1877. Its wines, white as well as red, are given prolonged ageing in casks and released later than most modern Riojas. They are renowned for their ageability, and the slight oxidation inherent in the ageing process gives the wines remarkable stability. 1964 was an outstanding vintage for both red and white Rioja. Looking back The 150ha property is owned by the López de Heredia family, represented since the 1990s by María José, her winemaker sister Mercedes and brother Julio César, all fourth generation. Their father Pedro, born in 1928, ran the company from 1955 onwards without help from his four…